An adult incontinence guard must be adapted to the type of incontinence for which it is to provide a guard. In milder forms of incontinence where only small quantities of fluid are discharged, a thin, small guard may suffice to protect the underwear of the wearer, whereas heavier incontinence will require diapers of high absorption capacity and leakage reliability. Furthermore, for anatomical reasons, male and female incontinence guards must be configured differently. The specific problems encountered when configuring male incontinence guards reside primarily in the tendency of the male penis to move readily in the guard, or to be positioned incorrectly when putting on the guard. Consequently, in the case of known male incontinence guards, it is impossible to anticipate that region of the guard in which wetting will primarily occur. In the case of female incontinence guards, on the other hand, a so-called wetting point can be determined more readily, and, consequently, it is easier to optimize the absorption capacity of female incontinence guards.
Leakage will often occur in known male incontinence guards because urine has either been delivered to one side of the guard or to random regions thereof. Because the urine has been absorbed within random regions of the incontinence guard, parts of the absorption material will have become saturated with liquid, resulting in leakage, whereas other parts of the absorption material will have remained unused.